Taking pictures in complete darkness

[Nocturnal Lights]

Hi guys,

Most of you know our focus light as a tool that's most beneficial when taking pictures of subjects in low light. Last week Eric Hanauer (www.ehanauer.com) sent us his comment on using the SLX light as a tool of illumination when taking pictures in complete darkness. Here's what he has to say:

I just returned from diving the atomic shipwrecks at Bikini, the first extended use of your modeling light.? It worked great on penetration diving inside the Saratoga. We were working in total darkness, and I was depending on the light for sight as well for illuminating the model for focusing.? It worked great.? Here's an example:

You can see the picture that he took in the Saratoga in the attached image. If you guys have any questions regarding the SLX feel free to ask us. It's a must-have tool that will be beneficial for underwater photographers.

 

[kapula]

Hmm.. your products are most certainly great and all but should you maybe ask moderators first if they're ok with you advertising on this forum? That wasn't exactly a tip but more or less you second what you said in Photography Marketplace forum. There are at least a few business owners in scubaboard community (as far as I know) but they don't go around screaming about their products.

 

[Nocturnal Lights]

Hi Kapula,

Sorry if this post seems too commercialized to you. What I was trying to get across is that a good focus light/modeling light can really help underwater photographers with their work in areas with very little light or in complete darkness. There are several basic attributes that focus lights have. First, it has to have a beam that’s wide enough for the subject. Second, the light has to be bright enough so it’ll bring out the colors and the contrast of the subject, allowing the camera to find the point of focus. And lastly, it cannot output too much light so you don’t see any hotspots in the picture.

Since Eric is an expert in this field and has a really strong background in underwater photography I thought it was worth mentioning what he had to say about our product specifically. Again, there are other lights that people use as focus lights but the features and characteristics are different, so I’m not sure if it’s beneficial for the members to read a generic post about just any focus light. I hope this makes sense for you and the moderators. We were a supporter of Scuba Board and have paid for advertising spaces in the past and we are catering to scuba board members however we can. If this is a problem for the moderators I’ll be more than happy to remove our brand and light name from the post, but keep in mind that not all focus lights are the same.

 

[The Chairman]

The thread is fine... we just moved it to the appropriate venue.

 

[Nocturnal Lights]

Thanks NetDoc

 

[Cacia]

tHANKS! I will be shooting on a penetration night dive soon and I will try the modeling light on my strobe Dx 125.. I forget it is there to be honest.

Using torches and manuevering with a big camera may be simplified this way. A very bright light I find very counterproductive and distracting. I like my eyes to adjust and then move through the wreck with a dimmer light.

 

[Nocturnal Lights]

Glad that you found this informaiton useful!

 

[Cacia]

Actually, it was just brought to my attention recently that it helps the camera focus...

 

[Nocturnal Lights]

Yes, a constant light that covers a wide area will help the camera focus becuase the censors look for the highest contrasting points of the subject.

 

[Cacia]

I wanted to see the pictures...

I don't understand if the model light is used with or without the strobe. I am trying some pictures tonight and am curious about the effect you are referring to?

My favorite wreck shots are without strobe, only natural low light.